A 15-year-old schoolboy shot dead during a “family fun day” in a busy west London park has been identified by police.
Rene Graham was shot dead in Hornimans Pleasance Park – known locally as Teletubbies Park – at around 7.20pm on Sunday, the Metropolitan Police said.
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It is assumed that René was at Park Lime, an event planned by the Caribbean Music Association.
Posters for the event describe it as a “day of family fun” with DJs, carnival stalls and food.
Notting Hill’s annual pre-Carnival event promised face painting and games but warned that glass bottles were not allowed.
Officers rushed to the park in west London after shots were fired in broad daylight, but Rene was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
Four men, two aged 21 and the rest aged 20 and 25, were arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody at this time.
The force said it initially said six people were arrested, but this was incorrect.
Those at the event have since spoken of their horror after the student was shot dead in cold blood.
A pensioner told The Sun she saw a group of men fleeing the scene before hundreds of terrified men, women and children also ran out of the park and down the road.
Fiona, who has lived in the area for 40 years, said: “There were at least four or five of them.
“I could see them passing by, running.
“I saw all the people suddenly attacking and coming down after the incident happened, all the people were here on their cell phones recording things.
“There were so many people yesterday for the music festival.”
Another resident told how everyone started fleeing the area after shots were fired.
The 20-year-old told the Standard: “Everyone was having fun when I heard a shot. It looked like a guy was shooting into the air as a warning, so people would get out of the way.
“Then everyone dispersed, we ran. When the crowd dissipated, he shot the boy. He was on the floor. Everyone was running and taking cover, it was crazy.”
Detective Superintendent Christina Jessah, responsible for Kensington and Chelsea policing, said: “A young boy has tragically lost his life and our thoughts remain with his family and friends at this devastating time.
“We will continue to provide them with specialist support.
“I understand that the public, especially those who live and work in the area, will be shocked and concerned by this incident. All of us at the Met share this concern and are using all the resources at our disposal to identify those involved.
“This investigation is at an early stage and we remain open-minded as to the motive. It will take us some time to determine the facts and this will be our priority in the coming days.
“We want to speak to other witnesses who were in the area at the time of the shooting, an event was taking place and it is possible that people were taking photos or filming. Check to see if you captured anything that could help detectives.
“Residents can expect to see a significant police presence in this area. Officers are there to provide reassurance and support – speak to them if you have any questions.
“Tragic incidents like this remind us that it is so important that we continue our relentless focus on suppressing gun violence and crime and catching the offenders who put our communities in danger.”
Elizabeth Campbell, leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said the shooting was “absolutely horrific and just horrible for the family”.
Additionally, Kensington and Bayswater MP Joe Powell described the attack as “horrible news”.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
